Global Messengers Take on New Role as Researchers Special Olympics Global Messengers are used to carrying the message of Special Olympics around the country and around the world. Their voices are a clarion call to people with intellectual disabilities to join Special Olympics and for people everywhere to support them in their efforts to demonstrate competence in sports and other aspects of their lives. Now these Global Messengers are stepping up to a new leadership role. Kester Edwards, a former Special Olympics Trinidad & Tobago athlete who currently is employed at Special Olympics headquarters in Washington, D.C. USA as a Health and Research coordinator, interviews Christopher O'Neil, a softball coach with Special Olympics New Hampshire. [Photos by Dr. Stephen Corbin] This week during the first Special Olympics USA National Games, in Ames, Iowa, several Global Messengers are participating in an important research project — as researchers. Kester Edwards, former Special Olympics Trinidad & Tobago athlete; Darcie Mersereau, Special Olympics Manager of Research and Evaluation; Coreen Harada, University of Massachusetts-Boston researcher; and Dr. Dettrick Stith, Senior Manager of Health Promotion for Special Olympics are conducting a survey research project with Special Olympics athletes. Their team of surveyors include several Special Olympics Global Messengers, athletes who train through Special Olympics Athlete Leadership Programs (ALPs) and serve as primary spokespeople on behalf of Special Olympics, appearing in national and international media outlets and delivering addresses before large audiences. Richard Conley of Special Olympics Kansas (USA), a member of the 2004-2006 Class of Sargent Shriver International Global Messengers, participates in discussions. He was an ideal candidate to participate in this research project, as he's known for never forgetting a name or face and can recall the smallest details from directions to faraway places to call letters of every radio station in Kansas. Although now less active as an athlete, Conley still volunteers with Special Olympics at both the local and state levels and is enthusiastic about his volunteer work at a local nursing home and hospice facility. Conley is passionate about teaching fellow athletes to also volunteer their time in their communities. "This is clearly a first for Special Olympics," said Dr. Stephen Corbin, Dean of Special Olympics University and Senior Vice President of Constituent Services and Support. "While there have been a few instances of people with disabilities participating on research projects with university and public sector programs in the past, this is our first effort and likely one of the first times that persons with intellectual disabilities have been actively involved with the design and implementation of a health research project." The goal of the research project entitled "Don’t Ask My Parent, Ask Me" is to ask Special Olympics athletes going through the Healthy Athletes® screenings questions about their perceptions of their health, health practices and beliefs and about how to maintain their health. A few months from now, the researchers will do follow-up telephone calls to see what, if anything, has changed and what actions individuals have taken to improve their health, whether personal health practices or seeking additional health care based a referral from Healthy Athletes. "I have done some athlete satisfaction surveys before," said Edwards. "But I really feel that I am involved with something important here." Darcie Mersereau, Special Olympics, Manager of Research and Evaluation (left) goes over survey questions. The athlete surveyors are trained by the research team. Then, they practice their interview techniques until they are comfortable. That is when the action begins. They independently engage volunteer athletes in a series of survey questions and record the responses. "Kester was very interested in doing a more in-depth survey project with athletes and this seemed like a great opportunity," said Mersereau. "It is very enlightening to watch the Global Messengers actively and confidently conducting the interviews. As with all of us, they get better with practice." Said Global Messenger Emily Matlack, "We have shown what we can do on the field of play. Now we are showing that we can make important contributions beyond the field of play too." The Global Messengers who participated in the survey were: Special Olympics Iowa athletes Brian Bates, Tabitha Darnell, John Kohles, Katie Lavender, Kim Lively, Erin Peck and Kristian Walker; Special Olympics Kansas athlete Richard Conley; and  Special Olympics Northern California athlete Emily Matlack. Visit the Research section of this Web site for more information on how Special Olympics has emerged as a global leader in cutting-edge research and evaluation, promoting better understanding of issues surrounding intellectual disabilities.